For several centuries, stories of famous painters, writers and musicians who were depressed and took their lives made people wonder. Only in the last 25 years has scientific evidence demonstrated that creative people are more vulnerable to depression and suicide, regardless of whether or not they become famous.

More research is needed to determine:

1. Which patients suffering from depressive or manic depressive disorders are most vulnerable to suicide

2. Which treatments will control the disorder without interfering with the artists' ability to create.

Depression and Creativity

Throughout history artists, writers and musicians have seemed to suffer disproportionately from mood disorders. Only recently has research concluded that a high percentage of artists -- both past and contemporary -- have, in fact, suffered from affective illness, particularly manic-depressive disorder.

Treatment of major depressive illness in artists has presented unique problems, partly because of a concern that creativity and the disorder are so intertwined that treatment might destroy the artists' unique talent.

By supporting study of current approaches to treatment, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention hopes to encourage the development of new options for today's creators, options unfortunately unavailable for yesterday's greats.

The Arts in Particular

The Literary Arts Recent studies have shown that poets and writers are four times more likely than others to suffer from affective disorders, particularly manic depression. Dickinson, Eliot, and Poe are among the many poets who suffered from an affective illness. Writers such as Balzac, Conrad, Dickens, Emerson, Faulkner, Fitzgerald, Ibsen, Melville, and Tolstoy also suffered from the illness.

In many cases, the writer's depression led to suicide: John Berryman, Sylvia Plath, Anne Sexton, Ernest Hemingway and Virginia Woolf. The Visual Arts Painters, sculptors, and other visual artists have also been afflicted by depressive disorders. Gaugin, Jackson Pollock, Michelangelo, and Georgia O'Keefe suffered from depression. Van Gogh, Arshile Gorky, and Mark Rothko committed suicide.

Contemporary designers are plagued by alcohol and drug abuse, which are associated with depression. The Musical Arts The death of Nirvana's Kurt Cobain brought the issue of suicide into the spotlight. But the problem was not new to the music world. Classical composers such as Rachmaninoff, Schumann, and Tchaikovsky suffered from affective disorders. Irving Berlin, Charles Mingus, Charlie Parker, and Cole Porter also suffered from depressive illnesses.

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

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